Field applicator with metering orifice and adjustable distributing means



Nov. 28, 1967 Y DETHMERS 3,355,070

FIELD APPLICATOR WITH METERING ORIFICE AND ADJUSTABLE DISTRIBUTING MEANS Filed Oct. 19, 1965 l0 Q 7 l0 /1 29 20 INVENTOR.

Robe/f Def/Myers United States Patent Ofiice 3,35'5',070 Patented Nov. 28, 1967 3,355,070 FIELD APPLICATOR WITH METERING ORIFICE AND ADJUSTABLE DISTRIBUTING MEANS Robert Dethmers, Boyden, Iowa 51234 Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,671 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-177) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A field applicator for application of insecticides or the like which is provided with a metering orifice and an adjustable device adapted to provide equal flow in the conduits thereof, and also having a solenoid operated shutoif valve.

the material passing to the heads.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement in which the material can be selectively controlled as to its rate of discharge, and to also provide a further control for causing a uniformv flow of material on both sides of the branch connections of the applicator heads.

A further object of my invention is to provide certain clamp arrangements whereby the unit can be attached to various types of supports.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the acc mpanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a forward elevation of the unit as attached to a cultivator frame-work,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional detail,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail of the clamp arrangement, and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of FIGURE 3 taken substantially along the lines 55 thereof.

My invention contemplates the provisions of an appli cator for field purposes and which includes various features of adjustability, etc., for providing maximum efliciency in the operation thereof for the purpose intended.

In describing my invention I have used the character to indicate a hopper having the downwardly convergent walls 11, the character 12 indicating a screen for screening the applicator material so as to reduce it from lumps etc. into a more suitable form, the character 13 indicating brackets attached to the solenoid 14, the solenoid being attached to the rod 15 which is attached to the tapered plunger 16 which fits within the tapered opening 17 in the plate 18.

The character 19 indicates a flange suitably spaced from the plate 19a, the flange 19 and plate 19a being attached by the means of the bolts 20, and the character 21 indicates a movable plate having the downwardly turned portion 22, the plate 21 having the various different sized openings 23, 24, 25, and 26 therein, the plate 21 also having the various marks 27 corresponding to these openings, the plate 19a having the mark 28 thereon.

Communicating with the plate 19a is the substantially round housing portion 29.

The character 30 indicates a bar pivoted within the walls of the housing 29 and attached to the bar '30 is a vertically positioned plate 31, the top 32 of which is adjacent to the center of the various openings 23, 24, 25, and 26, and attached to the housing 29 are the bosses 33 with which are threadably engaged the studs 34 which bear against the plate 31 at 35, and attached to the studs 34 are the knurled heads 36.

Communicating with the housing 29 as at 37 are the flexible tubes 38 suitably secured as at 39, these tubes being connected at 40 to the members 41, these tubes being suitably connected at 42 to the further flexible tubes 43 which are suitably attached at 44 to the framework members 45, the members 45 being securely bolted as at 46 to the member 41.

Attached to the hopper 10 at 47 (see FIGURE 2) is a vertically positioned channel member 48 to which is attached at 49 the transverse bracket 50 including the U shaped members 51 which can be shifted to any position laterally, and which are suitably secured, and passing through the members 51 are the vertically positioned rods 52 which are secured to the members 41, the bolts 53 provided means for adjusting the rods 52 upwardly or downwardly, and attached to the bottom of the channel 48 is a member 54 having the plate 55 attached thereto, the character 56 indicating a further channel shaped plate, the plates 55 and 56 being secured by the means of the bolts 57 to the square-in-section cultivator bar 58, this arrangement thereby serving to support the entire unit.

The character 59 indicates an insert channel (see FIG- URE 4) having the V shaped cut-out portion 69, and the plate 56 includes a V shaped portion 61 which can be reversed as shown in FIGURE 4, and which together with the plate 59 will then provide means for securing the unit to a cultivator frame-work bar 62 which is positioned at the angle shown, this clamping arrangement thereby serving to accommodate either type of framework.

The tubes 43 are preferably made of a resilient and transparent plastic material so that the rate of flow of the granular material through the same can be observed. By unbolting the bolts at 46, the frameworks 45 can be pivoted to any desired position laterally to provide for a wider separation between the lower open ends 63 of the tubes 43 so that earth rows of various widths can be accommodated. Also, as explained above, the bars 52 can be spread apart to desired distances, and these bars can be raised or lowered to vary the vertical height of the distributing tubes 43.

The solenoid 14 is suitably actuated to raise the plunger 16 to allow the material to flow downwardly into the distributing members, and also either of the openings 23, 24, 25, or 26 can be placed centrally beneath the central opening 64 in the plate 19a by merely placing either of the marks 27 at the mark 28, these various sized openings governing the rate of flow.

By rotating the knurled heads 36, the plate 31 can be pivoted in either direction 65 to also regulate the flow of material downwardly through the various tubes 38 and 43, the studs 34 being adjustably positioned to cause the plate 31 to pivot in either direction to adjust the delivery rate of the tubes 43 which may vary due to mechanical or other reasons, the plate 31 thus being adjusted so that the rate of flow through the tubes 43 is the same on both sides, which rate of flow can be observed by causing the flow through the openings 63 to pass into suitable containers having identical measuring arrangements and in this way the rate of flow will be suitably regulated.

6 It will thus be noted that the device of my invention .will provide means for the application of the granular material to the field for the various purposes intended, that the arrangement is adjustable as to spacing as well as to flow, it being also noted that further advantages will be apparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included Within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A field applicator comprising a framework, a hopper attached to said framework, a pair of tubes communicating to said hopper, a pair of distributing units communicating with said tubes, each of said distributing units including frame members, further tubes attached to said frame members, brackets to which said frame members are adjustably secured, means for positioning said distributing units at pre-selected lateral and vertical distances, including vertically positioned rods attached to said brackets, means for positioning said rods vertically and laterally with respect to said framework, a housing communicating with said hopper, said housing including avalve opening, a plate slidably engaged with said housing, said plate having a plurality of dififerent sized openings, means for positioning any of said openings to communicate with said valve opening.

2. The device of claim 1 in which a solenoid is mounted within said hopper, valve means operably connected to said solenoid adapted to close said valve opening to provide a shutoff means, said solenoid being operable from a point externally of said hopper.

3. A field applicator comprising a framework, a hopper attached to said framework, a pair of tubes communicating to said hopper, a pair of distributing units communicating with said tubes, each of said distributing units including frame members, further tubes attached to said frame members, brackets to which said frame members are adjustably secured, means for positioning said distributing units at pro-selected lateral and vertical distances, including vertically positioned rods attached to said brackets, means for positioning said rods vertically and laterally with respect to said framework, 21 housing communicating with said hopper, said housing including a valve opening, a plate slidably engaged with said housing, said plate having a plurality of different sized openings, means for positioning any of said openings to communicate with said valve opening, said housing including a vertically positioned bathe plate pivotally mounted therein, means for pivoting said bafile plate beneath said openings to adjust the flow of material to said further tubes.

4. A field applicator comprising a framework, a hopper attached to said framework, a pair of tubes communicating to said hopper, a pair of distributing units communicating with said tubes, each of said distributing units including frame members, further tubes attached to said frame members, brackets to which said frame members are adjustably secured, means for positioning said distributing units at pre-selected lateral and vertical distances, including vertically positioned rods attached to said brackets, means for positioning said rods vertically and laterally with respect to said framework, a housing communicating with said hopper, said housing including a valve opening, a plate slidably engaged with said housing, said plate having a plurality of different sized openings, means for positioning any of said openings to communicate with said valve opening, said housing including a vertically positioned baflie plate pivotally mounted therein, means for pivoting said batfie plate beneath said openings to adjust the flow of material to said further tubes, means for attaching said framework to a square-insection further framework portion, including an upper plate attached to said framework, a lower plate attached to said framework, an insert channel member having an inverted V-shape cut-out portion, said lower plate having a V-shape cut-out portion, said cut-out portions being adapted to receive the upper and lower edges of a squarein-section further framework portion when the sides of said further framework portion are positioned at an angle to the horizontal, inversion of said lower plate permitting reception of a square-in-section further framework portion between the same and said upper plate when said sides are horizontal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,621,022 3/1927 Merchen 1933l X 2,435,758 2/1948 Snyder 222-176 X 2,708,055 5/ 1955 Alexander 222-478 2,955,727 10/1960 Emling 222176 2,974,963 3/1961 McBride 222-478 2,990,186 6/1961 Gandrud.

3,155,293 11/1964 Cotter 222189 X 3,186,719 6/1965 Sosalla et al 222176 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner. 

1. A FIELD APPLICATOR COMPRISING A FRAMEWORK, A HOPPER ATTACHED TO SAID FRAMWORK, A PAIR OF TUBES COMMUNICATING TO SAID HOPPER, A PAIR OF DISTRIBUTING UNITS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TUBES, EACH OF SAID DISTRIBUTING UNITS INCLUDING FRAME MEMBERS, FURTHER TUBES ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME MEMBERS, BRACKETS TO WHICH SAID FRAME MEMBERS ARE ADJUSTABLY SECURED, MEAND FOR POSITIONING SAID DISTRIBUTING UNITS AT PRE-SELECTED LATERAL AND VERTICAL DISTANCES, INCLUDING VERTICALLY POSITIONED RODS ATTACHED TO SAID BRACKETS, MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID RODS VERTICALLY AND LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID FRAMEWORK, A HOUSING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HOPPER, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A VALVE OPENING, A PLATE SLIDABLY ENGAGED WITH SAID HOUSING, SAID PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT SIZED OPENINGS, MEANS FOR POSITIONING ANY OF SAID OPENING TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAID VALVE OPENING. 